BREWING UP A NEW BRAND PILLAR

How we helped Starbucks put its brand values front and center to reinforce customer loyalty during an economic downturn.

Summary

When a recession hits, consumers’ loyalty to products priced at a premium is tested – and it’s the daily purchases that are scrutinized most closely. After all, when money’s tight, it’s easy for customers to suddenly convince themselves that a lower-cost brand of coffee magically tastes better.

Here’s how we helped Starbucks define one of its brand values more visibly to bolster consumer loyalty.

Our Roles

Brand Strategy

Creative & Content Development

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Reporting

Web & Mobile Web Development

Challenge

The worst economic downturn since the Great Depression had put millions of Americans out of work and millions more on tightened budgets. For the average Joe and Jane, this meant the morning stop at Starbucks on the way to the office had suddenly changed from a daily routine to an unnecessary luxury as households across the country retrenched to ride out the storm.

So, how could Starbucks prove to its customers that its premium beans were worth the economic grind?

Insights

Brand patronage may originate from product or price, but loyalty is preserved through values. People love great brands for reasons that transcend those brands’ products: They admire what great companies stand for.

Specifically, at Starbucks, customers aren’t simply paying for a cup of coffee. They’re paying for a cup of coffee from a brand that holds the same values that they do.

Solution

MAKING BRAND VALUES RECESSION-PROOF

A core component of Starbucks’ brand values is represented by its Shared Planet initiative. However, this pillar remained poorly defined and under-represented in the online space. We decided to change that by bringing Starbucks’ charitable initiatives out into the open and making them more consumer-facing.

Shared Planet: Philanthropy Made Visible

Starbucks Social Responsibility Report has long been widely regarded as one of the best and most transparent reporting tools around, but the brilliant environmental and community-focused initiatives it contains never reached consumers’ awareness.

So, we redesigned the Shared Planet experience to broadcast the stories of responsible corporate citizenship that used to be buried in an annual report across online and retail channels.

Short documentaries capture background stories on specific areas and Starbucks’ role in improving local conditions.

The Community Involvement Center demonstrates how Starbucks’ Shared Planet participates in communities around the world.

The revamped CSR experience enables visitors to compile customizable, downloadable versions of the report based around areas of personal interest.

When it comes to sustainability, Starbucks offers more than meets the eye. So we shared information about some of its less-known innovations, like its “green stores” and eco-friendly bean sourcing.

Results

“I was impressed with AMP’s ability to listen to the challenges and bring back solutions that exceeded expectations. Empathetic, insightful, creative and strategic are just a few of the words to describe AMP.”

Stanley HainsworthGlobal Creative Director, Starbucks

For the first time, consumers got to experience the full scope of Starbucks’ Shared Planet pillar. We demonstrated that their extra dollars and cents were delivering a lot more than just premium coffee – a compelling reason to keep sipping Starbucks.

Shared Planet became an evergreen part of Starbucks’ commitment, providing the hub for consumer education, Global Responsibility Report access and for funneling interest into volunteer programs.